Job 21:15
“Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?”
Job raises an interesting question, worthy of our time and attention. If he asked it today, his question might be posed like this, “Why should a person be willing to trust in, follow after, and serve Christ? What are the benefits?” I know many people who have decided to devote their lives to Christ. I have friends and acquaintances who have moved to foreign countries, giving up their personal comforts, in order to serve the Lord. Are they wasting their lives by living for eternal things or are there benefits to following Jesus? Allow me to share a personal experience.
Years ago my wife and I began praying about leaving the comforts of our life in Southern California and heading out on our own venture of faith. We were informed about a group of Christians in Vero Beach, Florida, who were looking for a pastor. We began to pray, and soon after booked a flight to check it out. After a few months of praying, we determined to move our family across the country in order to serve the Lord. Almost immediately, after making the decision, we were plagued with self doubt. Is this the right decision? What will happen to our four children growing up in an unfamiliar place, without the support of family and friends. While we struggled through these and many other questions, I was reminded of a promise Jesus gave His disciples,
Mark 10:29-30 “So Jesus answered and said, ‘ Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.'”
Essentially, Jesus was reminding us there are benefits to serving Him. These benefits fall into two categories. The first would be eternal reward. Elsewhere, Jesus instructed the disciples to store up treasures in heaven that cannot be lost or destroyed (Matthew 6:19-21). In God’s economy, nothing we do for eternity will be forgotten. There is a day coming, for every child of God, when we will be lavishly rewarded for a life lived for the kingdom. There is another category of benefits, those we do not have to wait until eternity to receive. Jesus spoke of receiving reward in this life. He promises blessing will flow from obedience.
As I look back over the years, I am amazed how God has blessed us for our willingness to follow Him. It has not always been the easiest journey. We have had our share of painful experiences and times where our faith has been greatly stretched. But I can attest, the benefits of following Christ far outweigh the difficulties we have had to endure.
Pastor Jim
Once again, Job’s agony is answered by one of his self-appointed counselors. This time, Zophar, the Naamathite, raises his voice and refutes Job’s cries, telling him that all of human history testifies against his logic. I find it interesting that Zophar sites history in support of his argument.
Sometimes, the only comfort for the difficulties we face, is knowing where we are ultimately going. The sorrow Job faced could not be eased by the joys of this life. His only hope was to look beyond the boundaries of the temporal, into the glories of the eternal. Whatever we are facing today, if we have received Christ, we can be sure there is a day coming when we shall see God. Then, all the pains of this life will be consumed with the glories of eternity. Job reminds us of a few important truths that should keep us going during our darkest hours.
Although the counsel of Bildad was misdirected when applied to Job’s situation, he still gives some valuable insight. He addresses one of the dangers we face as we walk with the Lord. He warns of a snare set to entangle the righteous. Psalm 91 refers to this as “the snare of the fowler”, or a trap set by the enemy to trip us up. It is important to keep in mind, walking with the Lord is serious business. We must be aware of the pitfalls along the way. Ephesians 5 is an important part of the road map to a successful Christian walk.
It is often difficult to watch someone whose spirit is broken. They had once been so full of life but now seem to be a shell of their former self. They lack enthusiasm, vision, and the will to press forward. As difficult as it may have been to watch Job in this condition, as a reader we can certainly understand why he felt this way. His circumstances had crushed his spirit and brought him to a place where life seemed hopeless.
When we find ourselves in times of great trial, it is often difficult to discern the voice of God. In Job’s case, the voices of pain, sorrow, suffering, and loss were screaming so loud, the voice of God was drowned out. He could no longer hear God’s Word reminding Him of the great love with which he had been loved. He could no longer hear the voice of compassion, mercy or providence, explaining He would make all things right. All Job could hear was the voice of his anguish, and it was screaming, “God must hate me.”
Job has been plagued by a series of severe hardships that have caused others to believe he must be experiencing judgment from God for hidden sins. The body of the book is like a debate between Job and three men who are convinced he is hiding something. It is important to keep in mind, while their premise is wrong, much of what they say is in fact true. Here we find Eliphaz asking a very probing question that we would all benefit from taking a few minutes to consider. He asks, what it is in our hearts that is carrying us away from the Lord? Jesus asked a similar question, He inquired “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Both of these questions reveal that it is possible to have something in our lives which keeps us from true surrender to Christ, and may even be keeping us from salvation.
In the midst of his struggles, Job came to the realization that life is short. He compares life to a wild flower that blooms one day and seems to be gone the next. While it is important to realize the brevity of life, how we interpret that truth, will radically affect our viewpoint on life.
Years ago some good friends of mine were involved in a business transaction that drew a lot of press. It was not long before the papers decided to go public with the story. As we cracked open the paper, it was almost comical to read their account because it was filled with so much error and had even misquoted certain individuals. They had not really paid attention to the facts, or those they chose to interview, and instead wove a story that they thought sounded good.
There are certain truths that, if we took hold of them, and allowed ourselves to be taken hold by them, would transform the way we live, and as a result, the world we live in. This is one of those truths. If we really believe that the breath of all living things is in the hand of God, our lives will show it.
Jim Gallagher 